By Stephen Smoot
The Wildcats’ trip to Paw Paw last month does not inspire a lot of positive memories, despite the win. Pugnacious Pirates pushed Pendleton County to the brink in nearly every set. The three to one victory did not fully reflect how well the home team played in that match as they tried to flip the script on the state tournament qualifiers during the past three years.
“They’re good. They’re solid,” noted Madison Day, Wildcat head coach. “They deserve all the accolades they get.”
By virtue of dispatching Pocahontas County in the game after Pendleton County’s victory over Tygarts Valley, they took on the Wildcats again.
In the matchup in Morgan County, the Pirates established leads at the outset, forcing the Wildcats to keep their claws out and use them to inch back into the game, then take the lead as the sets came to a close.
Pendleton County had no intention of allowing that kind of advantage this time.
Alyssa Bennett took the opening serve. When the Pirates fired the ball back, she set up Carolyn Varner for a tap to the middle for the initial score. Bennett’s ace made that 2-0. The Wildcats quickly raced out to a 9-1 advantage. Three consecutive aces by Chesnee Colaw fueled the run.
Phoebe Pownell nearly repeated the feat with two of her own later on to put the score at 14-5, picking up a third not long after. Colbie Wimer’s spike moved the lead to 16-5. Two plays later, Colaw fielded a shot, moved the ball to Pownell, who set up Wimer for yet another spike.
Paw Paw started to settle in. They play consistently well on defense, making few errors. With the exception of two quite capable players who can elevate and power the ball down into the defense, the Pirates play a dink and dunk, “hit it where they ain’t” kind of offense. From the middle of the first set on, they proved resilient against the net power of Pendleton County.
But Pendleton County had adjusted to Paw Paw’s strengths as well, fielding the Pirate spike attempts better than in the first match. This resulted in countless lengthy volleys in which each side resorted to probing for weaknesses rather than overpowering the opponent.
The Wildcats advantage lay in having a deep bench with experienced players that Day could endlessly run in and out, creating matchups and keeping her team fresh. Paw Paw plays ironman volleyball. Who one sees on the court at the opening of the set is usually the same the entire game.
Set one ended in a 25-11 win for the Wildcats, who then proceeded to open up a 7-0 advantage, seemingly on the way to another easy set.
An odd dynamic with Paw Paw lies in the fact that as their chances to win decrease, the team plays better. They appear loosest and seem to have the most fun as victory recedes further from reach. They proved it by going on an eight to five run that brought them within three of the home team.
Pendleton County tried to stave off the closing Pirates, keeping a three-point lead, but then seeing two straight Paw Paw points to set the score at 14-12. Kinsley Price responded with a spike that gave a bit more room to breathe for the home squad.
Paw Paw scored two more, cutting the lead to a single point. The Wildcats scored on a bad serve, then Price delivered an ace to push the lead out to 17-15. Then, a collision of Wildcats trying to make a hustle play gave Paw Paw the point and the serve.
Pirate efficiency had started to erode the focus of the home team, leading to more attempts to make the big play to shut down the seemingly endless volleys.
Paw Paw could come no closer, though. A Price spike late in the set put the team up 23-18. It should be noted that Laney Bowers continued to man the left side of the net effectively. As sports journalists often say, she played within herself. That meant keeping the ball in play without risking mistakes attempting a killing strike, the best strategy for her with Paw Paw playing very efficiently defending their floor.
Bennett opened the set by helping her team score first. She ended it with an ace and a score of 25-20.
As they did at home, Paw Paw turned up the intensity in set three. They poured all of their pride and what they physically had left into winning one set. At home, they did triumph in the next to last set, leaving their fans screaming in support. They tried to pull off the same feat in Franklin.
The Pirates swiped the opening two points of the set, but Carolyn Varner set up a Bowers spike that cut the lead in half. A Colaw ace tied the set, then a Varner set of a Wimer spike put the Wildcats in front briefly. Not long after, Paw Paw moved back into the lead, 6-5. A hard Brynlynn Waggy spike knotted the game at five. Next came an ace from Wimer to take the lead.
Paw Paw scored three in a row to retake the advantage.
Once again, credit the middle and back row players. They adjusted to Paw Paw’s assault on their middle and started getting to holes found by the Pirates previously. Breena Bowers and Colaw in particular dove to the hard floor repeatedly to keep plays going.
Down 9-7, the Wildcats found that higher gear and shifted into it. Waggy tapped a ball to the middle to close the lead to one. Next, Breena Bowers tied the set with an ace. Paw Paw responded and retook the lead, but a big spike from Bennett tied it up again. Next, Bennett served an ace that put her team on top for good.
Clara Raines fielded a hit, got the ball over to Varner, who set up a Price spike. Bennett followed that with an ace that set the score at 13-10. Sensing trouble, Paw Paw called timeout. Then Bennett fired a sidewinder serve that nicked the left sideline and put the team up 14-10.
But the ironman Pirates had finally succumbed to just enough fatigue that they could not contain the surging Wildcats. Aces that had been few and far between since the start of the opening set now came in bunches. Colaw served five times late, only two came back from the defense. Waggy also played big on the front line in the closing action of the last set.
Pendleton County outscored Paw Paw 18 to five after finding themselves down 9-7. The last two points came from Waggy and Bennett spikes, ending the match at 25-15.
Losing bracket teams, Tygarts Valley, Pocahontas and Paw Paw, played on Monday. Paw Paw returned Wednesday to Franklin to take on the by-then-well-rested Wildcats.
A victory sends Pendleton County to Charleston. A loss meant another match to determine who advances to states.
